Perry Mattfeld On ‘In The Dark’ & Playing A Blind Character

(CBS Local)– “In The Dark” is coming back to the CW for season two and Perry Mattfeld is excited for many different reasons.

This is the first time Mattfeld has been the lead on a show and she is also grateful for more time to explore the depth of her complicated character Murphy.

“I personally think I have the best cast on television,” said Mattfeld in an interview with CBS Local. “I was initially drawn to this script because it was different from anything I’d seen or read before. How can it make you laugh and then in the next scene make you choke up. I like that there’s this raw anti-hero at the front, not a perfect female. It also has this physical aspect with blindness that was another challenge and something I was drawn to.”

Murphy is a blind woman in her 20s who is simultaneously trying to figure out the direction of her life and solve the mysterious death of her friend Tyson. Mattfeld believes this character can help young girls relate to someone on television.

“Our writer Corinne [Kingsbury] said growing up she felt like she never related to the women that she saw that were celebrated,” said Mattfeld. “In episode three, there’s a scene where we talk about getting your period for the first time. I think that’s the first time that’s ever been talked about on network television. She wanted to make something that was real and a little more raw. She wanted to create a female character that is strong and vocal and not necessarily perfect.”

The show is loosely inspired by the life of Lori Bernson, who is a blind consultant on the show. Lori is also part of the show’s writers room, as is blind writer Ryan Knighton. Playing a blind character has allowed Mattfeld to learn about guide dogs and what life is truly like for a blind person.

“It was not only a learning experience for me, but for our entire crew,” said Mattfeld. “We had guide dogs on the set a lot. We also have Calle, who is another lead on our show and is blind as well. I had never even set foot in a guide dog school before this show, now I go all the time. The entire crew got to learn and be educated about this.”